A report published by the Grattan Institute has found that the Federal Government’s carbon tax is a good start, but more policy action will be required to make significant emission cuts by mid-century.

 

The report found that a further developed policy framework will be needed to assist in the development of clean-energy technologies as an alternative to fossil fuel power generation.

 

This report and its companion detailed report assess the prospects for seven technologies -- wind, solar PV, concentrating solar thermal, geothermal, carbon capture and storage, bioenergy and nuclear -- that generate electricity with near-zero emissions and that have the prospect of deployment at large scale over the next 40 years.

 

The report warns that green power generation may never reach price equilibrium of coal-fired power plants and more must be done to ensure competitiveness.

 

“So what is to be done? The Commonwealth should ensure that its new carbon pricing scheme works properly over the long term. Governments should also make reforms to level the playing field between low-emission and existing technologies,” the report found.

 

"In other words, existing policies will not on their own produce the transformation we need.”

 

The report can be found here